


I Want You To Be My (Slime) Husband

by CardboarianNights



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: 'why the hell are you such an adrenaline junkie and won't stop putting yourself in danger?!', 'why won't you marry me?', Fantasy AU, Gabe is a noble, Gabe totally crushing on the cute slime humanoid, Gabriel is a bad flirt but only to Jack, Jack has freckles that glow when he has feels, M/M, Mutual Pining?, Slime Humanoid!Jack, both of them are idiots, human!Gabe, mentions of 'high level' skimpy mmo armor, who bicker over valid concerns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2018-12-02 14:14:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11511096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CardboarianNights/pseuds/CardboarianNights
Summary: Jack is a slime humanoid that runs a human and monster hybrid guild in the kingdom's capital as the establishment's guild master.Gabriel is just a human noble that loves flirting with said-guild master and also going on extremely dangerous dungeon dive once every few months with experienced teams just for the thrill.You can guess the many reasons Jack ignores the handsome noble's advances other than the fact that they're very terrible pick-up lines.





	1. How We Work

**Author's Note:**

> We need more fantasy AUs! 
> 
> Anyways, I've had this fic sitting in my google queue for a while now and decided to post the first part to give me incentive to finish it.

Gabriel was exhausted as he lumbered in with his party, a group of temporary adventurers rather than anything permanent. The guild hall was only a medium-sized building in the capital but had plenty of adventurers and the likes relaxing at the long tables as halfling monster types brought them food for their meals as paying customers. Gabriel was quite charred up, with clothes torn and armor dented in as he lead his group down the long carpet that cut the room in half with long tables lining the whole hall on either side.

Banners hung from the ceiling, elegantly displaying the various house crests of notable noble families that were associated with the guild - most being of prominent monster-human families that were exceptionally rare to see across the kingdom. Gabriel felt himself smile as he glance over to the farthest left long table to see the Reyes’ crest hanging proudly from a red banner. It was always a sight that cheered him up even when returning from the toughest quests. He fondly remembered arguing with Jack five years ago when he officially joined the guild after just taking quests and the like as a mercenary at the hall since he was fifteen. Gabriel won out in the end since his red banner, that painfully stuck out like a sore thumb against the blues and greens of the others hanging nearby, still hung over that table. 

He sauntered up to the counter that was being manned by two pretty ladies in modest dresses and grinned when one of them recognized him off the bat. The blonde woman in the blue dress had her hair up in a ponytail and slammed her hands loudly on the desk, startling all the party exhausted party members but Gabriel. “Gabriel! I sent you with one the best healers in our guild and you STILL have the audacity to come back looking like you took a tumble in an armory!”

“Hey! I know for a fact that Reinhardt’s armory is one of the safest places to take a child in the whole kingdom, Ziegler!” Gabriel shot back sarcastically, earning a chuckle from his group as they approached the counter to place the sacks on it. She was still scowling at him firmly, even with the heavy sacks on the counter to distract her constant disapproval of his methods. He sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to be getting out of this as easily as he thought he would and looked at her apologetically. “Okay, I’m sorry that we got roughed up, but, valuable treasure doesn’t hide in deep dungeons unguarded.”

“So, you’re not sorry at all.” Angela Ziegler huffed as she crossed her hands over her chest. “You could always take quests that are suitable for your experience level rather than expecting your money to buy you the best adventurers currently in the neighborhood, Gabriel. Your adrenaline junky nature is completely terrifying to witness first-hand.”

Gabriel shrugged his shoulders casually at that quip. “I only take an ‘expert’ level quest once every season, Ziegler, and then I just go back to solo merc quests around or below my range to recuperate. You know the cycle.”

She rolled her eyes at that, completely unconvinced that he wasn’t an insane noble who liked to play hero - which, honestly, wasn’t that far from the truth anyways. At least he wasn’t using his money to make people’s lives harder and sit on his ass like some other people that were well off. “I’m guessing you wish to turn in your quest, yes? I’ll go get Jack.” Angela grumbled as she turned around and walked over to one of three doors a few feet away from the expansive counter. She opened the door up and went into the back, the door clicking shut behind her.

The counter was long enough to span across the room, allowing for a reception and bar area to be comfortably incorporated into the extra space on the right side with several wooden barstools. Gabriel noticed that the two vases that Jack kept on either side of the alcohol bottle display had lovely red snapdragons sprouting up from opening - admiring the sight of red being worked into the dull blue/green/browns the guild hall was known for. Jack was always stubborn about working warmer colors into the layout of the place and still probably had that expensive red carpet with gold trim Gabriel commissioned years ago in storage gathering dust somewhere. His attention was brought back to the counter space in front of him when the door opened and Jack, himself, came out with Angela in tow.

Gabriel felt his heart squeeze in his chest as the man, or rather human-shaped slime stepped out with Angela following right behind him, closing the door behind her. Jack was a beautiful shade of dark blue, reminding Gabriel of the nighttime sky with the adorable, yet subtle, yellow freckles peppering his nose and cheeks that would light up whenever the human-passing slime would flush. Gabriel always looked forward to coming back to the guild hall to see the guild master pinning up requests to the ‘quest/jobs’ board, wearing a tunic, pants, boots, glove, apron and a hood on his persons. It felt like it had been forever since the last time he laid eyes on the handsome guildhall maste- Wait.

Hold the phone!

Gabriel had been gone for at least a month tops and it was still early in the summer - way too hot for someone to be wearing a cowl along with a hood on top of the other usual skin-covering clothing he wore throughout the year. Something was going on here, but, Gabriel knew better than to try to bum rush Jack for answers and get himself kicked out of the hall for two days. Instead, he rested an arm confidently on the counter and leaned forward as Jack began untying the sacks while Angela laid out the formal request list the commissioner wanted on the space in front of Gabriel. Jack’s enchanting, light blue eyes were busy surveying every piece of ancient (and rusted) armor while Angela checked off the items as Jack went along taking them out.

Gabriel felt a bit annoyed that Jack hadn’t even said ‘Hi’ to him after a month-long absence and the amused grin on Angela’s face as she checked off items was rather telling of what happened: 

She fucking snitched on him to Jack. 

Wow. Super fucking petty of Ziegler to bring Jack into this because he won’t feel bad about doing what he fucking wants in life. Seriously, he was going to spend the next few month recuperating from this quest and take it easy, so, why did she have to ruin his homecoming like that? There were plenty of other assholes she yelled at that were so much worse with their adrenaline junky habits than he was and they were fucking ranked higher than him in the guild!

He turned his attention back to Jack, not going to be put off one bit by Ziegler’s meddling, and gave the dark blue slime a lazy lopsided smile as he watched him work. “Hey, Jackie.” Gabriel purred in a sultry manner, his index finger smoothly tracing figure eights into the wood. “I couldn’t help but notice you added some actual color to your bar over there. Something about red just speaks to you now?”

Jack continued to do his job, ignoring Gabriel’s flirting attempt even though Gabe had to admit it was a lot better than his usual pick-up lines - more coherent for certain since he wasn’t babbling like a flustered fool for once. Gabriel frowned at that and glanced over at Ziegler, noticing the way she was barely suppressing a laugh at how badly he bombed but still dedicated herself to the job nonetheless. He looked back at Jack with a scowl on his face, much more determined this time to get at least a ‘shut up’ from the guildhall master at bare minimum or… probably give Jack his space if that was what he wanted. Gabriel had to admit he didn't really like the idea of ‘forcing’ Jack to do much of anything, to be completely honest.

Gabriel cleared his throat before looking at Jack, the slime still taking inventory of the gear as dutifully as before. “So… I… I missed you?” He tried, internally kicking himself for wussing out and making it sound like a question than an honest admission to the guildhall master.

It was enough to make Jack pause noticeably, but the cowl made it impossible for Gabriel to get a look at those dull yellow freckles of Jack’s to see if he managed to light them up even just a teensy bit. Seriously, Gabriel was dying to know what made Jack put the cowl on and make it that much harder to read the subtle expression of his face.

“Most people know if they miss someone or not.” Jack grumbled, making Gabriel instantly perk up until he saw the slime turn towards Angela instead of acknowledging him any further. “That should be everything on the list?”

“Everything is here and accounted for, Jack.” Angela smiled as she handed him the list.

Jack then pulled a sack off from his back and placed it on the counter in front of Gabriel, making the group of temporary help behind him gasp at how much it was but Gabriel scowl firmly at the guildhall master. “Hey… Um-”

“Hand out your coin, Reyes. You have eager workers looking for their tip.” Jack dismissively spoke as he started packing the gear back up into the sacks with Angela.

Gabriel begrudgingly opened up the large sack of gold coins and handed out the tip to the excited adventurers before they thanked him for a good time along with the other usual things these types spouted. He certainly wasn’t going to call on any of them again but made sure to tip the healer an extra amount since he had to deal with a lot more shit on the adventure than was necessary. They all got paid upfront before the adventure and the tip was just a big bonus for them to not ditch him right outside the guild doors after he hired them. Gabriel then tied the sack to his belt and watched Jack tie up the sacks of armored goods before Angela helped carry the second sack over to the middle door. They were assisted by the second receptionist as they held the door for them before they disappeared behind it, the door closing behind them shortly afterwards. He stood there at the counter for what felt like twenty minutes as other adventurers were helped by the other guild receptionists, waiting for Jack to come back so they could have a talk.

Jack always enjoyed talking to him on slowish afternoons like this but apparently he really was genuinely pissed off at him because Angela came back out and seemed surprised to see him still standing there.

Gabriel rolled his eyes and tried not to seem disappointed as he turned away before she could mock him further. He had stuff he needed to do anyways like depositing the gold he got, checking his investment funds, sending his armor and weapons in for repairs/upgrades, talking to his father about how his ‘trip to the neighboring kingdom’ went, and then probably climbing into the bath without trying to drown himself from how empty he felt. He pushed the large door to the guild hall open before closing it behind him, and brought his hands up to cover his eyes from the way the sun made the white stone road almost blindingly bright. The guild hall was intentionally kept dimmer in contrast to how bright the capital seemed to be, probably for the many monster-humans like Jack that frequented it.

There were carriages and a huge amount of foot traffic of people going about their business in the busy shopping district the guildhall was based in. Gabriel had to give his eyes a few seconds to adjust before stepping down the stone steps to the street and merging with the flow of pedestrians to start making his usual rounds after an adventure was over. Depositing the money at the bank was as easy as dropping the sack on the counter and not even having to say his name since he frequented the place a lot in his father’s place. A deposit slip was handed back to him after the money was counted and he stuffed it into his satchel, waving goodbye to the teller before heading out the door.

He had to spend some time with the armorsmith though since Reinhardt and Torbjorn insisted they talk at length about upgrades and the like, especially with how banged up Gabriel’s armor got over the course of a month. Gabriel spent maybe three hours just going back and forth about the quest details and how reinforced chest-plating barely kept him from dying this time around in the dungeon. Reinhardt was invigorated by the challenge of keeping up with Gabriel’s ever hectic need for big adventures once and awhile, usually using the down time to work on some new innovation based off where the armor succeeded in keeping Gabriel alive and where it miserably came close to failing him. His grieves being a crushed mess around his, thankfully, reinforced boots was the biggest weakness that Reinhardt and Torbjorn would have to rectify. Gabriel gave them a small sack of gold coins to use as their research fund to look for ways to improve his lightweight armor set and another sack specifically to improve his crossbow and dual daggers. 

Once everything was set and they knew his expectations, Gabriel set off for home. Gabriel flagged down the nearest rental carriage and hopped on, telling the driver to take him to King’s Row. The driver was skeptical about taking an obviously torn up adventurer to the district where nobility lived until Gabriel gave him the famed ‘Reyes glare’ for a split second before the driver let out a relieved laugh.

“Lord Gabriel! We were wondering when you would be coming back!” The driver spoke fondly as he lightly snapped the reins to make his horse move. The carriage wasn’t exactly fancy by any means; it was more like a modest wagon but Gabriel was so used to riding in them over the past month that he wasn’t going to really care considering it did at least look nice and was up to snuff.

“Eh. I was going to be back either way. You guys gamble too much.” Gabriel chuckled as he set his travel bag down next to him on the seat and watched people coming and going from the store fronts. He began referencing his mental checklist to see if anything new was worth checking out based on what was being displayed in the storefront windows when he comes right back down here tomorrow. He could get Jack a new apron or tunic since he rarely ever turned down clothing Gabriel bought him as long as it wasn’t gaudy or made him look out of place. “Anything new happen while I was gone?”

“Oh, come on, Lord Gabriel! What else are we lowly city-dwellers suppose to do? It’s not like we can get all the fancy armor and high ranking adventurers to escort us to a trap-filled dungeon every three months!”

“Hey! Adventure is in my blood! Even my own mother still goes adventuring behind my father’s back!” Gabriel shot back easily with a grin on his face. It was entirely true too about his mother. She might be in her fifties but she had her own account at the bank that Gabriel used as well to deposit their earnings for quests and use to fund all of their related expenses behind their patriarch’s back. “You didn’t answer my question though.”

“Urgh. Fine.” The driver sighed in exaggeration. “Let’s see here…” He mumbled as he scratched at his beard in thought. “Quite a bit, now that I think about it. The new stores in Bourbon District just opened up; a hatter and a tea shop. The tea shop is all the rage amongst younger nobles even though it’s not too far from the Dummbars District. More guards have been shuffled to that ward as a result which is rather nice change of pace for that area, if you ask me.”

A tea shop? Now that was rather exotic.

“You been there yet?” Gabriel asked curiously, noting that there was a several new styles of cloaks and the like at ‘Maldunes’ that he really needed to check out tomorrow as they lazily passed by the store. 

“Yes! My daughter wanted to go, so, we got in line early before the store opened up and got one of the first tables of the day. The shopkeeper, Ana Amari, is from the northern kingdom and brought plenty of foreign teas leaves and the like, Lord Gabriel! It was absolutely the best way to start the morning by having a cup of her tea!” The driver raved, making Gabriel put the shop into the neat little list of places he wanted to take Jack out to if he could ever muster the courage to ask the slime humanoid out, that is.

The downtown district and all its curious little shops seemingly vanished and was substituted for boring victorian mansions with spiked metal fences out front; King’s Row, the closest district to the palace and the place where the Reyes family has lived for generations. It was much cleaner up here but there were more guards than people walking about since everyone had their own private carriage and like hell anyone would be caught dead actually walking the road unless they were under ten years old. Gabriel sighed heavily as the carriage broke away from the main road to start going down the road that lead to the lake. 

“Anyways, what’s the tea shop called? ‘Amari’s’ since that’s the owner’s name?” 

The driver chuckled in amusement at that. “Indeed, ‘Amari’s Tea’ is what it’s called. The owner is following the naming theme of every other shop around her like we all expect.”

“Ah. I thought as much.” He replied, frowning when the cart pulled up in front of the Reyes manor and slugged his travel pack over his shoulder as he got out. Gabriel then walked over to the driver and handed him a gold coin for his ride fair plus a huge tip for keeping him up-to-date on everything. “Take care, alright?”

The man was grinning from ear to ear as he tucked the gold coin into his pocket, happy that he would be able to provide three square meals a day for his family for two weeks with that (assuming he doesn’t spend it gambling or drinking). “Thank you very much, Lord Gabriel. It’s always nice to have you back in the capital. Take care, Sir!” He waved to him before lightly snapping the reins to make the horse take off on a brisk prance to head back up towards the main road. Gabriel tried to contain his joy (absolutely none) as he stepped up to the gates and watched as one of the family guards left their post by the door several feet away to come greet him.

\--

Gabriel was able to evade his father long enough to take a bath and change into less roughed up clothes (being sure to pass them off to one of the maids he could trust to make repairs on the down low for him). Once he was changed into more suitable nobility wear that was expected for someone of his status, Gabriel managed to find his mother and father engaging in a rather competitive game of badminton in the backyard with one of the butlers keeping track of the score with a small chalkboard in his hand while the head butler was the referee. It was a very common sight to see his parents caked in sweat and glaring down at each other from across the net, especially with the shrubs grown high enough to act as a privacy wall to keep the neighbors from watching. 

His mother, Lorein Reyes, was wearing her husband’s clothing with the sleeves and pants legs rolled up while his father, Marcus Reyes, wasn’t wearing a shirt at all and missing his shoes along with one sock. Gabriel glanced over by the referee and saw the missing articles from his father to the ref’s left, denoting, unfortunately, his parents were likely playing strip badminton again. His mother was dominating his father again, it seemed, and Gabriel was highly tempted to go back into the house and pretend he didn’t see anything until his father turned around and made eye contact.

“Gabriel! Welcome home!” 

Gabriel’s mother snapped out of her competitive heat at that moment across the net and had a huge smile on her face as she regarded her son. “Gabriel! So good to see you made it home safe!”

He sheepishly waved at his folks as they paused the game to let the butlers take a break while they walked over to greet him with hugs and loving pecks on the cheek. Gabriel felt relief in his heart at the love they both still had for him even though he was a thirty year old man. He felt like the luckiest son in the world in moments like these to offset his general depression that they knew he struggled with. They pulled back to give him some space and looked at him with affection.

“How was the trip to visit Duke Lington?” His mother asked curiously.

“It was fine. Liao was in better health than I had ever seen him in ages, Mother. The Lington’s decision to move away from the kingdom was probably one of the best decisions they ever made.” Gabriel happily reported to his parents. While the trip was a cover to go on a quest, he always made sure to actually do what he said he was going to do since his mother wouldn’t tolerate him being a liar. “The Rountarian Empire is beautiful this time of year, especially with all the light snowfall they get there.”

His father smiled fondly at that. “It’s good to hear that Liao is doing a lot better and that they’re flourishing over there. The Lington’s deserve a lot better than how miserable they were here in the capital.”

“It probably helps that the climate is generally more mild year round rather than going through such seasonal changes that make it hard on Liao’s body to adjust.” Gabriel commented as he nodded his head in agreement with his father’s opinion. His mother was looking at him approvingly, like she always does when he reports back on his trips. Quests were just side errands to Gabriel’s duties after all. “So, how is Lily doing? Has she given birth to her calf yet?” He asked his mother, wanting to know how his pet cow was doing since she was pregnant.

“Oh! Lily is doing well, Gabriel. She should be giving birth within a week or so and your return could not have been timed any better!” She replied happily. “You should go visit her in the barn. I’m sure she misses you greatly, Gabriel.”

“I’ll be sure to do that. You two have anything else to inform me of while I was away?” Gabriel asked, eager to head over to the barn to give his dearest pet some affection, but, not enough to draw him prematurely away from his duty. Gabriel’s father frowned and nodded his head at that, making Gabriel rather concerned for what he was going to say since it couldn't be anything good. 

“It’s just rumors we’ve been hearing from the grapevine but some group has stepped up harassment of halflings and non-humans in the capital. We know how close you are with the guildhall master and I have been discreetly sending him some letters asking if he feels safe since you were away but he hasn’t answered any of my correspondence.” His father informs him with concern on his face. “You visited him when you came back to the city, correct? I couldn’t imagine you not doing so with your track record of visiting the guild first before coming home.”

Gabriel wasn’t really surprised if the anti-monster/hybrid assholes were acting up again since the weather was getting nice enough in the evenings to make it convenient for them to gather and plan in the lowbrow bars and pubs. “I did visit him and everything seemed to be in order at the guild. He was wearing a cowl though so I think he might be trying to fly under the radar more if those people are up to no good.” He thought out loud, his parents nodding in agreement with his deduction.

“There are less guards in the downtown district, so, it might mean they will be tempted to go after businesses there and the like in the evening hours.” His father remarked. “I’m sure no one will mess with the guild hall though consider it has many nobles backing it but that doesn’t mean that the guildhall master won’t get bothered when he goes out.”

His mother sported a mischievous smile at that, making Gabriel shiver at whatever idea she had in store. “Why don’t we have Gabriel posted at the guild, Dear?” She asked Gabriel’s father with a warm smile on her face. Gabriel and his father turned to look at her with an incredulous expression on their faces at how out of left field her suggestion was. 

“Mother, really? I realize that you feel no shame about a lot of things in life but this is kind of…”

His mother hand waved his hesitation as he looked over at her husband. “Don’t be like that, Gabriel. Your friendship with the guildhall master means a lot to you and it’s in times like these we should show solidarity with our allies when they need us most.” She spoke proudly. “Isn’t that right, Dear?”

Gabriel’s father tensed up a bit at being picked out and nodded his head in agreement, too infatuated with his wife to ever say ‘no’ to her when she got like this with him. “She has a point, Gabriel. A Reyes must always be ready to draw the sword to protect their allies!”

Gabriel rolled his eyes at that, not convinced in the slightest when his father was simply parroting what his mother said, but he had to admit it might give him time to come up with a plan to reconnect with Jack as friends. Maybe he could even take the slime humanoid out for tea if he got bold enough by being around him more often. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest at the opportunity, or maybe it was just plain anxiety. Either way, he couldn’t back down if his parents had a duty for him to perform as heir to the Reyes family name.

“I will do it and make sure no one messes with the guildhall master.” Gabriel swore before his parents, pleased to see them smile in approval.

“Then be sure to pack up for your guard service, Gabriel! We’ll send you with a letter tomorrow that should hopefully be enough to persuade the guildhall master to let you guard him in the evening hours!” His father declared with vigor before Gabriel took his leave to go see Lily in the barn while his parents resumed their odd version of foreplay in the yard.

\--

Jack was unimpressed as he read the letter, still sporting that cowl to conceal any skin from the bridge of his nose and down until the rest of it was tucked neatly under his tunic. Gabriel was wearing a new garment called a ‘serape’ over his shoulders, enjoying the way the red fabric worked wonderfully with the gold trim patterns in it. He was sporting an older set of his armor that would do the job well against human opponents should he get into a scuffle and pair of iron daggers on his hip holsters. The red contrasted quite well against the dyed-black tunic and pants he wore under his armors - something Jack apparently was noticing as well as he spent a bit of time looking at Gabriel when he came into the guild hall sporting his new clothing and old armor.

The navy blue slime humanoid rolled his light blue eyes as he carefully rolled up the letter and tucked it somewhere under the counter. He looked at Gabriel in a skeptical manner as he placed his arm on the counter and lean forward on it, trying to be intimidating. “Do I even want to know what brought Lord Reyes to think my life was in such immediate peril that he would send his own son to act as my bodyguard?” Jack asked quietly, not wanting the other patrons in the hall to hear their conversation.

Gabriel matched Jack by placing his arm on the counter as well and leaned forward. “It’s just until the sun comes up everyday, Jackie. I’ll stay out of your way and pretend I’m reading a book if you think this will affect business.” He whispered back to Jack, wanting his friend to know he was serious about this as well and not just because his father ordered him.

It was really hard to get a bead on the guildhall master’s thoughts with all that cloth obscuring his face. What Gabriel would do to see those dull yellow constellations that peppered his nose and cheeks again…

“Come on, Gabe…” Jack grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Gabriel’s brows furrowed at that as he propped up his chin with his palm on the counter top. “If this is about my family’s status being affected then you’re barking up the wrong tree, Jackie. Hell, we have our own damn crest hanging proudly on display in your guild hall and no one has ever made a move against us for it. Just… let me take care of your for once, alright?” He sighed heavily, hoping Jack would stop trying to fight him over this and make it easier for both of them.

Jack grumbled in annoyance at that and held up his hands in defeat. “Fine!” He then sharply turned to the male receptionist standing a few feet away from him. “Watch the front, I’ll be back.” He ordered before coming around the counter to stand in front of Gabriel. “Come upstairs and we’ll discuss everything in private.” Jack grumbled before turning and heading over to the staircase.

Gabriel lit up at that and eagerly followed Jack up the steps before turning to head down a hallway where rentable rooms lined each side until the end where Jack turned. They went several steps until Jack came to a stop in front of the only door in this hallway and pulled out a key to unlock the door. He gestured for Gabriel to go in before him and closed the door behind himself when they entered a very spacious apartment. It had a fully stocked kitchen, a living room, dining room, sorcery/alchemy space in the corner, and a rather large bed. There were a few doors that probably led to the toilet and private bath but Gabriel whistled at how nice and homely it felt.

“This is my apartment, Gabe. You can leave your things here and sleep, if you want.” Jack casually remarked as he locked the door and hung the hefty ring of keys on the wall hanger before walking over to where Gabriel was setting his bags down in one of the empty storage chests that was left open near the bed. He handed Gabriel a brass key, which he assumed was the spare to the apartment before Jack pulled back his hood and removed the cowl, flipping it inside out before laying it over a drying pole he had situated against the wall near the chest.

Gabriel tried not to stare as Jack head was finally fully exposed and just as beautiful as he remembered it being. It would make sense that he would feel comfortable taking the cover gear off in his own apartment since it was just them there. What he didn’t expect was that Jack was still going with the clothing removal after he hung up his apron and grabbed the bottom of his shirt to pull it off himself. Gabriel was tensing up a bit, not sure if it was okay to look at Jack with his shirt off, keeping himself distracted by looking elsewhere in the apartment before he heard the sound of boots plopping on the floor.

“Erm… Jackie…?” Gabriel asked nervously as he felt his face heating up while he heard Jack’s fiddling with something like his belt when he heard the tell tale rattling of metal. He patted his palms against his sides to distract himself.

“Yeah, Gabe?” Jack answered with ease, stepping up behind Gabriel and wrapping his arm around the man’s waist as he rubbed his cool nose against the back of Gabe’s neck sensually.

The sensations shot right down to Gabriel’s dick as Jack pressed himself up against Gabriel. Jack was coming onto him? This was one of Gabriel’s biggest wet dreams but even then this felt too spontaneous to be actually happening. He brought his hand up to pinch his cheek, making Gabriel hiss from the sudden pain that cemented this moment as actually taking place. 

“So, uh… you suddenly fall for my good looks and charm?” 

Jack chuckled softly at that. “Let’s just say I finally feel confident enough to make a move on you after that ‘let me take care of you’ comment. Just had a feeling that your feelings might be a bit more than platonic with that one.”

Oh.

OH.

“Well. I’m certainly not opposed to…”

“‘To’ what?” Jack asked, his voice suddenly in the distance even though he should have been right behind Gabriel.

Gabriel blinked and realized that he was sitting on the bed while Jack was preparing a meal on the stove over on the other side of the room, fully clothed minus the cowl and hood that hung on a hook by the door. His face burned as he realized he had been daydreaming inappropriately about his friend and knocked himself lightly in the head at that. Who has perverted daydreams about their friend?! Really?! Gabriel was going to have to go to a brothel or something because that was just too out of left field for him and also way too good to be true…

“Gabe?” Jack, way too handsome and beautiful for Gabriel's heart to handle, asked as he held up the wooden spoon in his hand, stew dripping off of it in an all too appetizing manner.

“Sorry!” He chuckled sheepishly before quickly realizing he was looking like a nervous wallflower instead of the handsome stick of dynamite he was and shot Jack a mischievous wink. “I mean-! I was thinking about how nice you would look in ‘high level armor’.” 

Gabriel was equally filled with glee and pure horror as Jack went as rigid as stone for a long moment at that remark, only snapping out of his petrification when his stirring spoon clattered to the floor from his hand.

“Oh shit!” Jack cursed as he quickly picked his spoon up and moved away from the stove to the sink to wash it off. 

“I got you covered, Jackie!” Gabriel volunteered as he got up from the bed, feeling absolutely guilty now for shocking his friend with such a stupid joke and grabbed the spare spoon from the ceramic bowl Jack stored his larger cooking utensils in on the wooden prep counter. He then went over to the iron stove to start stirring the stew, mentally regretting his impulsive nature to try to flirt with Jack causing such a stupid incident to occur. 

Jack came back, towel drying the wooden spoon he finished washing off and his naturally navy blue hands gloveless for obvious reasons. His yellow freckles glowed like stars over his nose and cheeks, making Gabriel’s breath hitch to see Jack blushing once more. It was like looking at the night sky when Jack flushed adorably like that…

“Do I even want to know what brought on that remark, Gabe?” Jack asked in a disapproving manner, putting the now-dry spoon back into the utensil bowl and setting the dish towel on the counter before crossing his arms over his chest.

Gabriel smoothly looked back at the stew like he hadn't been staring dumbly at his best friend face for the past few minutes. He felt the butterflies in his stomach jamming themselves into his throat as he tried to think of a good excuse that might also sound like a good pass at his friend. Wait. That would be a dumb idea considering how he reacted last time and that one hundred yard stare that Jack gave him like he personally lost braincells hearing those words come from Gabriel's mouth.

“Erm… W-well, aren't guildhall masters well-known specialists in their field? I-it wouldn't be a surprise if… You had… an armor set… that high…?” Gabriel painfully choked out, feeling himself fall further from his friend’s good grace as Jack stared at him, completely unamused. 

...He was going to get kicked out of the guild hall for this, wasn't he?

Jack looked off to the side for a moment the golden freckles looking adorable and making Gabriel's heart race. “I’m… I never wore any myself since there’s no need for me to be in armor at all. Is it a joke or a serious, well, you know…?”

Gabriel was on the verge of passing out from how hot his face was getting and the rush of blood to his cock at the thought of Jack actually taking up his request. Jack was never this shy about asking for clarification though and actually seemed uncomfortable if Gabriel actually looked at how avoidant Jack was being. That helped push his mind out of the gutter as Gabriel brought his free hand up to rub the back of his neck.

“Jackie, as beautiful as you would look in that kind of armor, I know better than to make a request for that!” He chuckled reassuringly to his friend. “Sides, I don't think either of us can splurge THAT much money as a joke. Though I think it would be fun as hell to maybe go to a low level dungeon in skanky armor together just to see how the monsters react.”

Jack rolled his eyes at that, clearly feeling more relaxed at the jokes Gabriel was cracking before he took the spoon out of Gabriel's hand and head over to the stove. “Alright, alright, enough jokes and go sit down, Gabe.”

Gabriel put his hands up and smiled in mock surrender before scampering off to the table to behave until the meal was ready. The stew was delicious and filling, exactly what Gabriel needed after coming back from his adventure. It certainly helped that Jack lightened up considerably and was cracking jokes back and forth with him while they ate across from each other at the table. Gabriel couldn't help but smile at how nice this was, just the two of them in the privacy of Jack’s apartment and having a bowl of warm, home made food in front of them.

It made him wonder if Jack missed Gabriel as much as he did Jack for the past month… He secretly hope he did.

\--

Gabriel happily sat at the table under his family’s banner off to the side when Jack walked with him back down to the lobby of the guild hall. He had a sack on the table with a few books and a deck of cards to keep him entertained while Jack went back to the reception desk, his cowl, hood, and gloves back in place on his body. It was heartbreaking watching Jack interact with regulars and newbies alike at the reception counter while being forced to hide who he was. Jack usually wore a cowl after he ate a meal, the sight of food he ate breaking down in his gelatinous body was disturbing enough to warrant a temporary cover up of his neck as the food floated downward but for him to cover up EVERYTHING all the time?

Gabriel was going to beat the shit out of any fucker that had the balls to show themselves in the safety of the guild hall. Jack shouldn't have to live in fear because of what he was and Gabe was ready to challenge the assholes to a duel to the death to fight for his, and any other monster hybrid in the kingdom, if he sees injustice before him with his own eyes. He sat with his back against the wall and one leg propped on the bench he was sitting on as he pulled his book out, not expecting trash to come stomping through while there was daylight out. Now was a good time to unwind while keeping an eye out for trouble on and off. It might not be a high level monster dungeon but a job was a job and it also let him hang around Jack more!

After getting comfortable and glancing up to make sure Jack was okay, he opened up his book where he had the bookmark and grinned as he resumed reading the saucy adventures of a hero and his trysts with two demons. He had no qualms with reading the novel in public since he didn't get aroused with written depictions of sexual encounters. Gabriel was in it more for the drama that revolved around the sex scenarios and anyone who thought otherwise needed to mind their own damned business.

Gabriel always made sure to glance up and do a visual check of the guild hall every five pages or so, taking the time to watch groups banter around their tables while they ate food and drink or sat at the bar since the sun was starting to go down. Jack came in and out from the back depending on if guild members were submitting requested items from the quests they took on or if they were doing a small trade with the guild itself. Gabriel would pause and slip his bookmark into place if a boisterous adventurer or group came in, observing them critically, especially with how the interacted with the halfling staff or Jack himself if they went to the reception counter.

So far, it seemed like the majority of the people were just there to do your standard transactions in a guild hall. Members looking for good grub after a long day of adventuring and wanting to socialize with others in the guild that were present. It was a relief that the common folk weren't the ones actively looking to cause trouble but it was bit annoying to Gabriel since he wanted to take out some of his pent up aggression on an asshole who deserved it.

With the loud folk seeming to be decent, Gabriel picked his book up again and resumed reading where he left off. His back and butt were getting kind of stiff after a few hours of just sitting, reading, and people watching. He shifted in place to try to stretch the muscles without being forced to stand up until he heard someone sit down across from him at the long table and the sound of wood groaning before Gabriel turned his head to see what was up. Jack was leaning over the table with his hands braced on the wood to read over Gabriel’s shoulder.

“What’s this you’re reading? A romance book?” Jack asked curiously, watching as Gabriel slammed the book shut and quickly placed it on his lap, his hand trying to obscure the cover.

“W-What?! I mean…! Ahem! Of course I’m reading a romance book, Jack. When have I ever been a man embarrassed about his interests?” Gabriel smoothly replied, Jack staring at him in a disbelieving manner before lowering himself back down to sit on the bench as he rested his arms on the table.

“I was trying to tease you but I forgot that the laws on fragile male human masculinity do not apply to you.” He quipped, making Gabriel relax as he turned on the bench and slipped his book into his bag on the table to turn his full attention towards Jack across from him.

“Hey, now. You know how damn well I looked in that dress and they guy was just asking for trouble betting that I wouldn’t put one on!” Gabriel snickered in amusement, happily reminiscing on the good ol’ times when people in the guild hall thought that Gabriel was just a selfish noble’s son walking about the place like he owned it and being a literal show pony up to no good. He took a lot of those kind of ridiculous bets to gain the trust of the halflings who worked here and the members of the guild who were low-key afraid of his power.

Jack was even chuckling at that and sighed wistfully at the nostalgia. “Yeah. Though you didn’t fill it out as well as you thought you did.” He playfully teased Gabriel.

Gabriel took mock offense to that as he held a hand over his heart. “Ah! My fragile ego! How will I ever recover from this dart of doubt you placed in me?”

“Take it willingly out of your ass like the rest of that long stick you have up it?” 

“How will I beat off my suitors then?”

They both snorted and laughed at that, the exchange as fluid as the friendship between them. Gabriel’s heart filled with joy as he brushed off the beads of tears on the corners of his eyes while being unable to stop laughing because of Jack’s contagious laugh. It was a friendship that Gabriel desperately wished would become something more especially with Gabriel’s parents threatening him with the fact that their ‘wedding gift’ will go bad if he keeps putting his proposal off. How often was it that a noble patriarch would glad grant consent for marriage between his full-human son and a slime humanoid like Jack?

Gabriel felt himself bathe in the warmth that was this moment as they came down from their high together, the cowl covering over Jack’s nose glowing lightly under the fabric while the sun continued to set to the point where the halflings were using magic to light the candles around the guild hall. Jack was so beautiful when he glowed, moving Gabriel’s heart every time one of his actions prompted them to light up on his cheeks and nose. He felt such strong desire for his friend and saw Jack’s hand just bracing his body upright so he wouldn’t collapse forward from his laughing fit a few moments ago. Gabriel’s eyes focused on it and he swallowed hard before reaching across and placing his hand over Jack’s.

He felt his own face burn to his ears and down his neck as Jack grew still and just looked at him after Gabriel gently placed his hand over Jack’s. Gabriel’s heart longing to have Jack pull the cowl off and let him see his friend’s expression for himself in this moment. Jack has to know how Gabriel feels after all these years flirting with him and trying to instigate precious moments like this. It was hard to draw up the courage to make that small step forward, his justifiable hesitation keeping him from actively SAYING what he wanted and making himself look stupid if it turned out that Jack flat out couldn’t have feelings like that or something. 

‘I want to make us something more.’ His heart yearns to say as his lips tremble open.

‘I want you to be my husband and make you stupidly happy everyday.’ Gabriel’s fingers clench gently onto Jack’s hand as he tries to force the words out through his mouth.

“I’ll buy you what you want!” His stupid mouth manages to say, making Jack and Gabriel stare blankly at each other, not aware that the employees of the guild were watching them with much interest. 

“... Um? What exactly are we talking about here?” Jack asks, confused as Gabriel was as he watched Gabe pull his hand sheepishly away. Gabriel takes that hand into his own and feels his courage slip away from him as he looks down at his lap.

“I’m not really sure. Just said what came off the top of my head.”

Jack was quiet for a few moments before clearing his throat to get Gabriel’s attention. “I don’t exactly need anything right now but I do appreciate the offer. You’re doing a lot just by hanging around and keeping us safe.” He admits quietly to Gabriel, not really sure what to say to this odd situation.

“Does it bother you?”

“Hm?” Jack looks up at Gabriel curiously even though the man still has his eyes glued to the table surface.

“My affection for you…” He murmurs out, looking for something similar to hope for his bleeding, pining heart.

“It’s not… unwanted, but I don’t know much about human courtship and you don’t know much about slimes either.” Jack sighs as he bring his hand up and rubs the back of his neck. “Are we even seeing each other in the same light? What exactly are you looking for, Gabe?” He asks quietly, uncertain of his own feelings perhaps...?

Gabriel frowned at that, his chest tightening as he felt rejection in the air. He was going to say ‘no’? It was just like Gabe to make a move that would make things awkward. Perhaps he could never see Gabriel as a partner for all the this he pulls with his adrenaline-junkie nature and how Jack maybe wanted the exact opposite of a dungeon diver as a lover. He could understand that. Worrying night and day for him. 

God, he was such a dick for even thinking anyone would tolerate the kind of life he lived. Noble’s son or not.

“Nothing, Jack. I was just-”

“Just touching my hand and holding it like the world was going to drop out from under you.” Jack remarked before getting up from the bench in annoyance. Gabriel gritted his teeth at how deep the barb went. 

He was disgusted…?

“Jack. I didn’t think that it-” Gabriel sucked in a sharp breath as he tried to get the words to sound right, to fix this mess with his best friend. “If my affection isn’t something that you want then I’m fine with rejection! Just don’t talk like the thought of me liking you like that is disgusting! I’ll stop the flirting and shit! I’ll cut it all out! I don’t want to lose my best friend over a misplaced crush!” He declared rather loudly.

Jack’s eyes narrowed for a moment before he looked at Gabriel in a serious manner. “Okay. Say I do like you and want your affections, Gabriel. What good would that bring you? You just saying it out loud with no regard to your own safety is NOT helping this situation one bit! People know you sympathize with us but this is a whole new level of ‘low’ for a noble heir! You’re just ASKING for people to despise you!”

“So what?! You think people don’t already hate me for being born into nobility?! Why the fuck should I care if I’m strong enough to protect myself, strong enough to protect us both?!” Gabriel slammed his hands down on the table with that. “Don’t act like you haven’t held a sword before, Jack! Don’t just say ‘I don’t want to cause trouble’ when you’re the goddamn guild master of this fabled hall and you’ve dealt with way worse shit in the past! So what if a group of drunks think I’m a disgusting human being for wishing to be by your side! You think their opinion matters?!”

Jack growled in annoyance before placing his hands down on the table and meeting Gabriel’s challenge head on. “It WILL when a mob of them comes to torch your damn manor and literally kills you and your parents! You think I want that kind of fate to fall upon you?!”

“Are you fucking serious?! A mob?! Halflings can get any job they want in the kingdom! The king himself has advisers that are halflings, Jack! There is no secret ‘mob’ that is going to go deep into the noble district with pitchforks and torches to do that sort of thing! Especially not when I’m from a lower nobility household!”

“Oh?! Am I not allowed to be worried for you or something?! I’ve seen it HAPPEN before, Gabe!”

“Maybe two hundred years ago but this isn’t the past anymore, Jack! I’ll admit that it could happen but that’s not likely enough to happen that I would still not want to be with you regardless!”

Jack tensed up at that before pushing himself off the table. “I’m done arguing this with you. I have to get back to work.”

“Fine, but I expect us to come to some kind of conclusion over this when you have time to talk about it with me.” Gabriel sighed in frustration as he sat back down on the bench, Jack walking away as their peanut gallery went back to doing what they were before and acting like nothing happened. 

It was annoying that Jack had to walk away from the conversation but he understood that they were kind of having a very private conversation as a screaming match in Jack’s place of employment. Though to be honest, Gabriel rarely ever had these kinds of heated debates, especially with someone like Jack and it… was kind of nice to hear what they each wanted to say even if the delivery method wasn’t ideal. He hoped that Jack would at least take his parting request to heart and discuss more about it with him later when they were both more calm and that Jack didn’t need to be helping the reception desk.

There actually weren’t that many guild members around now that Gabriel noticed it. Most of the assistants and waitresses for the hall were sitting down at the tables and talking amongst each other to pass the time, meaning that Jack came over at his own volition to talk to him. A quick glance up at the window on the other side of the hall revealed it to be pitch black outside, meaning it was probably really late in the evening since the few guild members here were drinking or coming in to get rooms for the night. Gabriel never really came to the guild during the late night even though he knew it was open twenty-four hours a day since the place made enough money to have enough staff to make those kinds of rotations.

Jack, being a slime humanoid, did not need to sleep or eat as much to keep himself going at full speed, at least from what little bits he could gather from Angela complaints. It made Gabriel wonder if just having the idea of a place of his own and having it be fully furnished was rewarding enough for Jack to keep that apartment upstairs. It was clean and had all the comforts a person could want for their average day-to-day life but also spacious enough to accommodate a guest or two. Gabriel kind of understood why it was so easy for Jack to hand him the spare key to the place so easily if he wouldn’t be using it too much himself.

Gabriel reached down and gently traced the bronze key he had in his pocket before glancing up to see Jack sitting on a stool behind the reception counter as he talked to the werewolf that was his assistant receptionist for the night. He frowned and took his hand off the key, opening up his satchel on the table to pull out his book, turning his body so he was straddling the bench before leaning back against the wall to resume his place with one leg propped up on said bench. The book helped ease him into a state of relaxation while the night dragged on in the background, Gabriel only looking up every ten pages to do a visual perimeter check before going back to his book.


	2. Love Happens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The smut scene didn't pan out. Sorry for those that were interested! Dropped the rating of the fic to follow suit.

It only dawned on Gabriel that the sun had come up when a plate of mashed potatoes, slice of smoked pork, and plenty of green beans were placed next to him on the table with a pint full of fresh cold water, that it was morning. Setting his bookmark in place, Gabriel turned fully to sit facing forward to quizzically look at the steaming helping of food as the werewolf that was running the front desk with Jack gave him a smile on the other side, setting down wooden eating utensils on the corners of Gabriel’s plate. 

“I don't think I ordered a meal recently.” Gabriel sheepishly spoke, not wanting to offend the woman, who was shifting back slowly to her human-passing form with her fully black ears being the last to go with her sharp claws.

“That’s very sweet, Reyes, but I cooked this of my own free will as thanks for your voluntary guard work.” She remarked, referencing his wish to be called ‘Gabriel’ or at least ‘Reyes’ by anyone who was a member of the guild. “Let me know if you need anything else, alright?”

Gabriel internally frowned at being given food when he was about to go upstairs and head to bed for a few hours but wasn’t going to complain about a wonderful smelling breakfast to fill him up. He tucked his novel into his satchel and picked up his utensils to start cutting into his food since his stomach was now loudly protesting his hunger pangs from not eating in a long while. Jack’s stew certainly kept him filled though. It made Gabriel wonder if he should ask for that recipe or not since it would be very useful on expeditions to dungeons.

Out of curiosity, Gabriel turned slightly to his left to glance over his shoulder at the reception counter. Jack wasn’t manning the counter and instead it was Angela and the other woman who worked during the as the werewolf woman who made Gabriel food waved them before turning to leave the lobby. Her shift was probably up when she delivered him some food and was going to head home for some shut eye until the night came around again. It was something he planned on doing once he was done eating breakfast, humming in delight as he brought a piece of the smoked ham to his lips and ate it. 

Now dedicated fully to eating his meal, he faced forward and consumed without much of a hurry while taking a sip of water from his wooden pint at times. Not having much else to entertain him, Gabriel watched as the guild hall slowly filled up with members, new members looking to join, and groups of adventurers coming to the counter to turn in their quests. It brought him satisfaction to see how well the guild has grown even if his experience here was just a small fragment of a snapshot into the organization’s health. He wouldn’t raise his sword for any other guild than this one that was much more accepting of anyone regardless of origin or class.

A smile lifting the corner of his lips as he heard Angela laughing hard with a group of people at the counter. Oblivious as he may be about the context of the joke, it had to be something good to get the guild’s lead healer to laugh out loud like that. This was pretty much the kind of guild that would allow for just lax interactions between its public facing team and the guild members in general. People just flocked to the guild hall for its colorful staff and the variety of quests that were offered on its job’s board. A guild where a young swordsman with no training could get the mentorship they needed with no questions asked and for a reasonable price. It was definitely worth flying his family’s banner proudly with the other crests of households who supported their ideals.

With his meal finished, Gabriel slipped his satchel over his shoulder and carried his plate, silverware, and pint over to the counter closest to the kitchen door, placing it down before heading to the staircase. The members that rented the rooms on the second floor for the night were at various stages of dressed but socially passable as Gabriel walked by them down the hallway. He yawned after the warrior he passed did, the action highly contagious and making Gabriel drowsier than he already was as he turned at the end of the hall. Using the bronze key in his pocket, he unlocked the door and let himself into the dimly lit apartment, closing it behind himself before locking it up.

He placed the key on the hook by the door and kicked off his boots, walking across the apartment floor to the bed. Once there he stripped off his armor and blades, setting them down against the wall and out of the way before pulling one of the blades off the belt. Gabriel set the short sword on the nightstand before stripping down and folding up his clothing to put beside his armor to wash later, going over to the chest to open it up and change into his silk nightgown with just his underwear on underneath. Making sure that Jack wasn’t in bed at the moment, he felt around the bed in the darkness, his fingers touching a soft body under the blankets before he drew his hands back and sighed at his luck. 

Jack shifted under the covers but didn’t seem to wake up as Gabriel went over to his travel kit to start untying his bed roll from where it was strapped to on the bag. Gabriel’s mind seemed to drift as he remembered the first few adventures he took when he was fifteen as he lifted up his bed roll from his pack and laid it on the ground. His fingers easily finding the three leather bands that held each part of the roll firmly, untied each section, and unconsciously tied the bands to the hoop he had on his pack to keep stuff like that from getting lost on his travels. He remembered Jack, Angela, and him building his first campsite and their biting remarks on how naive he was back then…

-

“I don’t get it. Why don’t we just use the lantern I brought with to light the firewood instead of using dried leaves and rocks to light it?” Gabriel asked as he carried out the heavy bedroll from the wagon he borrowed from his home, sighing in relief after he laid it down next to Angela’s significantly thinner and lighter one. 

They were a few miles away from the capital to hunt low-level monsters and Gabriel made sure to be extra prepared for anything they could run into, much to Jack and Angela’s incredulous expressions when he showed up with a horse and wagon. He knew how to drive a cart and even brought along a saddle with bags built into it if they needed to climb somewhere where the wagon would be an annoyance but the horse could traverse with them. Gabriel knew how to effectively conserve space in the bags and the wagon, bringing only what they would absolutely need so they could pack it with animal pelts and whatever stuff they come across! It wouldn’t be like a real dungeon dive like his mother went on but he was more than ready to show the guild master and his assistant how invaluable he could be!

Jack continued working to create sparks to light the dried leaves with tinder as Gabriel walked over and sat down next to their party leader. “It’s an invaluable skill to have in the event your party runs out of mana potions for your mages to cast spells or worse if something happens to them and/or you’re solo diving a dungeon then have to abandon your pack and can’t go back to retrieve it. You can only count on your own skills when the absolute worst situation happens and you have no one to rely on but yourself. Death is very common, Ser Reyes.” He remarked before finally managing to create a spark to light the dried leaves on the wood. “Quickly, Ser Reyes! Blow gently on the flames to spread the fire!” 

Gabriel quickly dropped onto his hands and knees without complaint as he did as he was asked. He frowned when the flames went out due to his overeagerness to perform and impress the slime humanoid who was taking a lot of time out of his schedule since no one else at the guild took his interests in adventuring seriously to mentor him. Gabriel got up and gathered more dried leaves without awaiting instruction since it was an easy task before sitting back down next to Jack. He then placed a few leaves back on the wood and held out his hands towards his instructor. “Let me try then. Please.” He added without any hesitation, seemingly impressing Jack with his humility due to him being the only son of a noble and not being overly entitled.

“Here then.” Jack placed the two pieces of tinder into Gabriel’s hands and watched the young noble’s technique as he tried to mimic Jack’s earlier strikes with the rocks. 

Angela sat on a rock nearby to keep watch as Jack and Gabriel continued to work on getting the campsite set up.

“So, what do I do if I have no tinder to start a fire, Guild Master?” Gabriel asked curiously as he tried out a few variations of striking the tinder together to see which would produce a spark with the least amount of effort.

Jack hummed at that before glancing over at Gabriel as he managed to start a small fire and got down on his hands and knees to gently blow on the fire to encourage it to spread and grow. The fire managed to hold this time. “Add a few more leaves but not too much or you’ll smoother your fire.”

“Alright.” Gabriel plucked two leave by his knees and placed them carefully on the fire, one-by-one. The fire continued to hold out and seep down into the dry wood.

“Very good.” Jack congratulated the boy’s eagerness to learn with a smile. “It should be good for now but we’ll add a portion of the log we chopped up to it when it’s more stable.” He explained as Gabriel marveled at his work. “Oh, right, as for your question earlier about situation where you don’t have tinder. It honestly depends on where you are and your environment along if there are people with you or not. It will be tougher to use a stick to start a fire than with tinder but it’s very possible if you twist the twig back and forth between your palms while the stick creates friction on the wood. I’ll show you how to do that method in a moment but adventures always keep tinder in a sealed container on their belts that is waterproof to prevent having to use the stick method to in the first place.” Jack waited until Gabriel looked over at him before continuing. “Another method involves a knife and a sharpener for a knife to produce sparks. There’s a lot of methods you can get creative with to make a fire, especially when you’re desperate. Also, if you have money or treasure and are nice, sometimes groups of adventurers will take pity on you and let you join them but you obviously can’t rely on others all the time.”

“I see. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a group from the guild to come with me next time I go out on a fetch request or something.” Gabriel remarked optimistically as he looked over at Jack then over at Angela. “I’m really sorry about pushing you both to do this so I can get credibility, Guild Master. I do genuinely want to go on adventures but I understand why anyone would be hesitant on taking a noble’s only heir out of the safety of the capital.” He sheepishly spoke as he glanced back down at the fire. 

“It’s fine. Angela is our best healer and I’ve killed plenty of monsters and bandits in my days before becoming the guildhall master. We’ll keep our guard up regardless of how close we are to the capital so we can get back safe and sound with the wolf pelts, Ser Reyes.” Jack reassured him with a light pat on the shoulder, making Gabriel smile in relief at the confidence their leader showed. “I will say that you’re rather over prepared for a simple outing to the forest near the capital though. Most groups usually pay to rent a wagon to take them to where they need to go or ride their own horses if they know they’ll have a safe place to leave them at their destination. You can’t assume you’ll always have a wagon to carry your things.”

Gabriel brought a hand up to sheepishly rub at the back of his neck. “Ah… I’m rather used to caravan travel but packed as minimally as I could.”

Jack chuckled lightly in amusement at that. “I know. You brought significantly less that I thought you would and you display good knowledge of what to generally bring for an outing. Angela and I will show you a proper light-traveling pack that most adventurers bring along then when we get back I’ll help you assemble your own pack from the reward money we’ll earn from this quest.”

Gabriel lit up in excitement at that. “That’s sounds great, Guild Master! I can’t express my gratitude enough for both of your assistance and training lessons!”

“I’m sure Angela will appreciate that considering how much mana she had to use to keep you healed up against the wolf pack.” 

“Yeah. I’ll be sure to tip her extra for that since it has to be rough being a healer.”

“That’s a good ideology to have, Ser Reyes. It’ll keep healers on your good side along with following their advice if they are as experienced as Angela is.” Jack remarked before reaching to take a log and carefully lay it down in the fire. “Anyways, I think our lessons are done for the day. How about we get some shut eye, okay?”

Gabriel nodded his head and got up with Jack, Gabriel heading to his sleeping bag that was next to Angela’s empty one while Jack’s was laid over a short distance under a tree. He probably didn’t need to be as close to the fire as they did since he was a slime humanoid and Gabriel politely refrained from commenting when he took off his boots to slip into his comfortable bedroll. As much as he wouldn’t enjoy sleeping on anything flatter, Gabriel was confident he could get used to sleeping in a thin bed roll like Jack and Angela did. The last thing he wanted was to stand out and be a burden to his team members due to his wealthy upbringing. He wanted to be an adventurer and fight the good fight with his fellow warriors like his mother before him.

It took a while but Gabriel was able to slip away to sleep easily with having such reliable people keeping guard for them all through the night.

-

“Gabe…?”

“Gabe.”

Gabriel hummed as he opened an eye to the sound of Jack’s quiet voice whispering to him and the sound of the fire crackling in the fireplace. He was pretty sure it hadn’t been too long since he fell asleep, his body still in ‘light sleep’ mode from the dungeon dive he got back from and didn’t adjust back to his normal sleeping depth yet. Jack shifted on the bed at the sound of Gabriel’s response, probably not ready to get up quite yet with just one hour of sleep. A least Gabriel hoped he would sleep longer.

“Yeah?” Gabriel yawned, rolling onto his back so he could look over at Jack in the darkness.

“You don't have to sleep on the floor.”

“You’re using the bed, Jackie. It's not like I'm not used to sleeping in my bedroll on the floor.” 

Jack chuckled softly, making Gabriel smile at the sweet sound.

“I still can't get over how easily you accept all of this ‘low class’ circumstances, Gabe. You’re the weirdest noble I’ve ever met.”

“If you want to share your bed with me then maybe I would consider upping my standard.” Gabriel teased playfully in response.

“What? Sharing a mediocre bed with a slime isn’t considered a downgrade to you?” Jack snickered back in return, fueling Gabriel’s reflex to flirt with Jack if the opportunity presented itself.

“An opportunity to sleep in the same bed as you sounds far more luxurious than you make it out to be, Jackie.”

“Stop.” Jack laughed. 

“I’m an awfully good cuddler, Jackie. You should scoot over and let me show you.” Gabriel grinned as he could only imagine the cute expressions Jack was making after he pulled his blanket over his head to dull the yellow freckled that were making his cheeks glow beautifully in the dim room.

“Prove it then, You Unbearable Ass.” Jack grumbled in one of the cutest ways possible, making Gabriel throw off his blankets and quickly get up.

“Scoot over then, Dipshit. You’re hogging the bed.” Gabriel countered, trying to not sound too overly eager than he felt as to not ruin this chance. Jack was actually permitting Gabriel to make an advance on him and he needed to take this slowly as to not scare him away.

Jack did eventually roll over to the opposite side of the bed, keeping himself hidden under the covers as Gabriel grabbed his pillow from the floor and slipped in. The bed might not be the softest thing Gabriel ever slept in but it was very warm. That was really all Gabriel needed as he laid down his pillow on the bed and rolled onto his side away from Jack as to not crowd him. Just being able to share a bed with his crush was more than enough for Gabriel.

Gabriel felt himself relax after he got comfortable under the blanket, letting out a yawn before feeling Jack’s foot bump against his own. He cracked open an eye at that but didn’t put much stock into it before he felt and heard Jack roll over to now face Gabriel’s back. His heart started pounding in his chest as he tried to keep himself calm and not get too excited over the mundane. Gabe has to play it cool or Jack might make him buy a room the next day instead of letting him sleep over.

“I thought you said you were a good cuddler, Gabe.” Jack spoke quietly, making Gabriel’s eyes snap open.

“I… um… I guess I wouldn’t mind showing off if you really want me to…” Gabriel mumbled, not really sure if Jack was joking or not and wanted to play it safe rather than assume anything.

“Please.”

Gabriel felt like he could cry tears of joy from how sweet and meek that ‘please’ from Jack was. He rolled over casually, playing it cool as he saw that Jack was still hiding under the covers. Maybe he was as nervous as Gabriel was about all of this? It would be a nice thought as he scooted closer and draped one arm over Jack’s waist, feeling smooth skin against his fingers. There was still a sizeable gap between their bodies but Gabriel was doing so on purpose.

“How close do you want me to move in?” He asked casually, making it seem like this was no big deal when he was absolutely ecstatic under the surface.

Jack didn’t answer and instead slid himself over to close the gap, pushing his warm body against Gabriel’s front and laying over arm over Gabriel’s waist as well. Gabriel’s heart was throbbing in his throat from how forward this all was, not expecting Jack to be eager to sleep together at all. It was absolutely adorable and Gabriel had to do everything in his power not to hug Jack tightly to his chest in glee.

“I love you. Okay, Gabe? Please stop trying to put a target on your back and making me worry sick about you.” Jack sighed out, sounding completely exhausted for a love confession.

Gabriel found himself happy as all shit to hear Jack say it but gently pulled him closer as he rested his head on Jack’s head with a frown on his lips. “I’m sorry for being so bullheaded in the guild hall, Jackie. I just want to know that you’re safe at the end of the day as well, you know? It’s pretty obvious that I’ve had a silly crush on you for years though, huh?”

Jack chuckled softly at that as he raised his head up. “Very obvious, Gabe. I don’t think I’ve seen you flirt so hard with anyone else before, or at least mess it up often enough to make my staff groan at your failure.” He teased, making Gabriel’s face burn in embarrassment.

“I can’t help that I get nervous around you.”

“That’s why I can never really stay mad at you. You’re the pinnacle of good spouse material, Gabe. Maybe not the whole dungeon-diving addiction you have but everything else is pretty solid.” He admitted with a smile as he pulled away from Gabriel’s chest, the freckles on his face glowing like firefly lights on a perfect summer’s night. “Though I probably would want to continue living here than go to your manor for the first few years.”

Gabriel found himself utterly captivated by how beautiful Jack was and the way he talked so sincerely about their life together, as it he thought about it many times through before this confession. “Yeah. I pretty sure my parents won’t mind what we come up with. They adore you to bits anyways.” He smiled bashfully as Jack’s sweet smile made Gabriel’s insides twist so pleasantly. Still, he had to be responsible and bring up the big elephant in the way off a healthy relationship between them. “... I’ll… maybe we can negotiate quest difficulty for the next few months before I head out again so you won’t have to worry so much?” He offered.

Jack’s eyes widened at that as he looked absolutely shocked. “Gabriel Reyes?! Offering to negotiate on quest difficulty?!” He then brought a hand up to pinch his cheek hard enough to make Gabriel cringe before releasing it with a wince. “Okay. Clearly I’m not dreaming if I felt that.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes at that but he knew he totally deserved Jack doubting reality after all the times Gabriel brushed him off when consulting him on difficult quests. “Okay, you have a point there. I’ll have it put into our marriage contract or something.”

Jack frowned at that. “Probably not a good idea since your father will find out about you and your mother’s dangerous dungeon-diving habits.” He remarked smartly. “Your father is a bit blind and overly trusting but I think you’re pushing your luck on having him not question it when he has to sign his approval on it.”

Gabriel paused at that for a moment. “Fuck.”

“Yep.” Jack agreed with a grin on his face. “I’m sure we can work out something in the three months of downtime you usually give yourself, Gabe. Also, it will give you time to find a ring that my body won't absorb or destroy over time.” He chuckled.

Gabriel smirked in amusement at that. “You’re a demanding little shit now aren’t you? Just assuming I’m going to get you a ring just like that.” He teased as both he and Jack had a good laugh in response.

“One of us has to have SOME expectations in our relationship.” Jack grinned, melting Gabriel’s heart even more as he leaned to press his cool lips to Gabriel’s.

Gabriel let his body relax and his eyelids flutter close at how nice it felt to be kissed by Jack after all these years of pining after him. He wasn’t going to let him slip out of his grasp now as he brought a hand up to cup the side of Jack’s cheek. This guild master’s heart was his and he had his noble heart in return.

When they slowly parted, Gabriel felt himself smile wistfully as he saw the way Jack’s freckles glowed beautifully. The humanoid slime’s eyes appearing to twinkle in the darkness as he looked at Gabriel with so much unrestrained fondness. It was enough to make Gabriel hold his breath at how lucky he was to find his love returned by such an amazing person.

“I’ll do my best to try not be an embarrassing spouse, Jack.” Gabriel murmured honestly to Jack, drawing a sweet laugh from Jack as his brow crinkled adorably at that.

“You wouldn’t be you then.” He teased, making Gabriel growl playfully as he went to tackle Jack, drawing a loud laugh from the slime humanoid that filled the room while they grappled.

“You little shit!”

“It’s the truth!” Jack barked out as he managed to push Gabriel off of him and roll on top of him to pin the other man down. Both of them struggling for a good while until Gabriel suddenly gave out, letting Jack collapse on top of him easily. Jack seemed perplexed by that as he pushed himself up on Gabriel’s chest and looked down at his future fiance. “You’re done?”

Gabriel yawned at that as he shifted comfortably under the slime humanoid’s body. “Pull the covers back up and I’ll be peachy. Always imagined you being on top.” He playfully added with a wink, enjoying the way Jack’s freckles momentarily flared up at that.

“Oh? You did this specifically to mess with me, didn’t you?” Jack huffed down to the human below him, receiving only a casual shrug of Gabriel’s shoulders in return. Gabe sported a smug grin on his face as he suggestively waggled his eyebrows at Jack. Jack snickered in response as he slowly laid himself back on Gabriel’s chest after pulling the blankets back over them both. “You’re lucky that I like you, Reyes.” He spoke as he got comfortable.

Gabriel sighed fondly at that. “Me too, Jack. Me too.”

Luckily for both of them, no human rioters ever came to mess with Jack or the guild while Gabriel kept watch for the rest of the summer. Their engagement announcement following after the news of a successful fall harvest to keep naysayers to a minimum since their joy would not ride the coattails of food shortage in the winter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review if you enjoyed the fic!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading chapter one! 
> 
> Please leave your thoughts and comments since those help motivate me to finish working on fics like these!


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